Kelly may be the number one choice

by John Berkowitz on Nov 30, 2008 7:51 PM PST Comment 51 comments

The coaching search has gotten really serious and I expect it to come to it's conclusion over the next seven days.

The finalists are the same I mentioned before Thanksgiving and I would give the edge to Brian Kelly at this point. You can also add Mike Leach to the mix at this point after not hearing about him over the past two weeks.

As you all have read Pat Hill has been interviewed and it went well. I don't think Hill is the number one choice but he is a solid coach that most fans would warm up to if he gets the job.

Kelly has interviewed twice and I have always felt he would be the best fit for the job. Even a better fit than Mora. I simply think he has the right blend of experience and personality to get the job done. Whitingham is still out the there but I am hearing that they like Kelly better.

Brian Kelly
Kyle Whittingham
Pat Hill
Mike Leach
Jim Mora

Why do I have Jim Mora in the number five slot right now? I still think he has been the overall leader if the wants the job. I also think that if he doesn't agree to terms today he will be out of the running.

As for Kelly I think he will have the option of choosing between UW and Notre Dame if that job opens up as expected later today. I actually think Washington is more attractive because ND has become an unreasonable pressure cooker. I think most coaches realize that.

Another thing is that even though I don't like Weis I think his best days as a coach at ND are ahead of him because of the good job he has done recruiting. He deserves another year even though he might not get it. I think even going in the best the Irish were going to do was 6-6 or 7-5 and he accomplished that.

I have to run but will be back later this evening.

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Kelly

He would be a great hire for UW IMHO.

He’s gotten Cincy to a BCS bowl using 5 different QB’s this season is what I’ve read. That my friends is coaching.

I’m not sure Weis gets canned tomorrow. In a postgame interview last night with ND’s AD Swarbrick it was mentioned Swarbrick would be in California this week and Weis would be recruiting so any meeting between them would take place
Monday next week.

This for hairofthedawg…Napavine is in the state FB finals…too bad you can’t be in the Tacoma dome next Saturday.

Jack

by T9ODawg on Nov 30, 2008 10:15 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks T9O!

It would be fun. I was there for their last championship…74-60 over Prescott, fun game to watch. Hopefully they’ll have as much fun this weekend. I haven’t seen whether they’ll play Asotin or Colfax yet, but I’ll be cheering them on regardless.

by hairofthedawg on Nov 30, 2008 3:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Asotin

beat Colfax 26-9

by T9ODawg on Nov 30, 2008 5:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i’m not sure I agree that most fans would warm up to Hill. He is mediocre, not exciting, he may act tough, but his teams are not, hasn’t won the WAC in 11 seasons, and so on.

There are more rumors about Mora on the Seahawks board on the PI website, saying he is close or already has accepted the UW job, but I’m sure it’s just some loser trying to get our hopes up.

Kelly would be a great choice, as would Whittingham. Leach, i’m on the fence, I don’t think it would be a good fit, he’s a weird dude, and his team’s D is not very good and they hardly ever run the damn ball, I wouldn’t be against him being hired, but I would be cautiously optimistic.

by dawgdays240 on Nov 30, 2008 10:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Weis deserves another year.

now that is funny. Just like Ty last season.

I agree that Kelly would be a nice hire if we can get him. Not sure that I agree with your point about warming up to Pat Hill. If he wins, of course … but will he win? There should be serious questions as to whether he’s savvy enough to compete with Pac 10 teams more talented and innovative enough to counter the more accomplished coaches in the Pac 10.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 12:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

on Weis

I’m no fan of Weis – he’s an arrogant jerk.

That said, what did anyone seriously expect out of Notre Dame this year? They were an awful 3-9 last year, playing a ton of youth (including the O-line). The fact they’ve improved markedly this year shows progress, and a reason for Weis to get another year.

It’s not a fair comparison to Ty last year. Last year, the Huskies regressed from ’06. This year, Notre Dame has improved from ’07.

I can’t stand Weis or Notre Dame, but Weis should get another year.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 12:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So the "it's been four years" argument does not apply to Charlie?

Yup. Still laughing.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 2:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

read again

It’s been four years does apply to Charlie. But you also have to consider trends. Charlie did great with Ty’s early recruits, going 10-3 in consecutive seasons. Then the wheels fell off last year. This year, they’ve improved by 3 wins. Obviously 6-6 in year 4 is pretty bad, but there was improvement this season over last season. Will that improvement be enough along with the massive buyout for Notre Dame to give him another year? It may well be. Weis played a ton of his own, very young recruits last year rather than the scraps of Willingham’s last recruits, and he may be able to sell the Notre Dame brass that as his own recruits mature, they will start winning big and Weis’ stud recruiting rankings will finally pan out.

What Notre Dame has to consider is who do they go after if they fire Weis? Brian Kelly looks good to the UW, but he didn’t really get a sniff last year from Michigan. Is he that much more attractive this year? It’s been pointed out that a big reason why Notre Dame missed out on Urban Meyer was Meyer’s family – his kids were younger, and Meyer figured that recruiting for Florida wouldn’t take him away from home as much as it would for Notre Dame, which recruits nationally moreso than any other school.

Meyer’s kids are older now, and Meyer has still talked about Notre Dame as a “dream job”. Can they pry Meyer away from Florida? Would they have an even better chance of prying him away next year?

It may well be that Notre Dame’s patience has run out. And it will be tough for them to justify giving Weis 5 years when they did not do so for Ty. But there are reasons why they may give him one more year.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 3:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Urban Meyer to ND?

my goodness, this thread keeps getting funnier and funnier … just like your cute explanations justifying Charlie Weis. First he wins with Ty’s kids and then he loses with Ty’s kids – at first season he did it in spite of Ty and then year three was all Ty’s fault. Now in year four he’s “coming back”.

Pure hilarity (especially since Ty only got three seasons at ND and had as good a winning % as Weis has right now). Keep it coming.

And Urban Meyer – that is beautiful. I’m sure those Gator fans are really nervous that Urban is leaving there to come to ND.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 3:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you misunderstand me

I hate Notre Dame, and I severely dislike Weis. I think it’d be just deserts for both if they had to eat his massive buyout and if he were out of a job.

But the fact is, Ty recruited well early on at Notre Dame, and not so much at the end. Is that the only reason why Weis did well to start out at Notre Dame? No, but it’s a factor to be considered. It’s also a fact that Weis played a lot of freshmen and sophomores last year, at QB and along the offensive line to name a few critical areas. Not surprising that the Irish stunk last year given that youth. Where were Ty’s recruits? They’d either transferred or weren’t good enough. And this year, with more experience, those young players have done better.

Again, I can certainly see why Notre Dame would fire Weis. But I can also see why they’d give him one more year, to see if the improvement this year will continue next year (and to postpone having to pay out the obscene buyout).

As for Meyer, you don’t have to believe me – I’m just repeating what a south Florida sports columnist wrote, and his conclusions come from a pretty good source – Meyer himself. Believe me, I thought it was lunacy to suggest Meyer would leave Florida for Notre Dame too, until I read the article. Read it yourself and tell me it’s lunacy:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081120/COLUMNISTS0306/811200343/1065/SPORTS

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 3:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

ok. good use of the link.

Still, this double standard between Weis and Ty is lunacy. Weis was good enough to win with Ty’s upperclassmen but not good enough to win with his lower classmen and is now “showing improvement” from where he was the year before last. Hardly. Plus, he’s had this “improvement” against a pretty easy schedule and a with very healthy team.

Point is, he has not done anything better with the job than what Ty did with it (motivational personality or no) and he ought to be gone.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 5:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Weis and Ty's recruits

Ty took over Notre Dame in 2002; his first recruiting class (taking over for the work Davie had started) was ranked #13 by Scout.com and #24 by Rivals.com. Those players were true Seniors and redshirt Juniors for the 2005 team, the first for Weis, and the redshirted players were Seniors for his second team in 2006.

Ty’s second class in 2003 was ranked #5 by Scout.com and #12 by Rivals.com. These players were true Juniors and redshirt sophomores for the 2005 team, and true Seniors and redshirt Juniors for the 2006 team. In fact, most of the best players in this class graduated in or left early after the 2006 season.

Ty’s third class in 2004 was ranked #30 by Scout.com and #32 by Rivals.com. These players were true Seniors and redshirt Juniors for the 2007 team and redshirt Seniors for this year’s team.

Ty’s last class in 2005 (which was finished off by Weis) was ranked #27 by Scout.com and #40 by Rivals.com. These players were true Juniors and redshirt Sophomores for the 2007 team and true Seniors and redshirt Juniors for this year’s team.

So let’s review – Ty’s first two (and top two) classes formed the upperclasses of the first two seasons for Weis. Upperclassmen are usually superior players to underclassmen due to their development within the program. These highly rated recruits as upperclassmen under Weis went 9-3 and 10-3.

Ty’s last two (and worst two) classes formed the upperclasses of the second two seasons for Weis, which went 3-9 and 6-6 (so far). Ty’s last two classes were poor enough that many of the true and redshirt Freshmen and Sophomores from the 2006 and 2007 classes for Weis started ahead of their upperclassmen teammates.

Why am I nuts for correlating the success of Weis at Notre Dame to Ty’s best recruits being upperclassmen under Weis?

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 7:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If our new coach comes in and gets the team back ...

… to a winning record in his first two or three years then I will acknowledge your point IF you agree that you will give Ty the credit for the turnaround ….

… because that is exactly your logic here. In your mind, the “coaching” has no correlation to success – only the recruitment of players and then sitting around and waiting until they mature matters. That’s great for wine, but not really college football.

Pure insanity.

Still laughing.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 8:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

correlate does not equal cause

All I said was there’s a correlation. I never said it was the only reason, i.e. causation. Where did I give Ty exclusive credit for Charlie’s first two years? I didn’t. Of course there’s more than just the quality of recruits left behind. But saying that means you have to give Weis some credit for succeeding with Ty’s guys, and that’s not helping your argument against Weis.

And of course the new coach at the UW will owe something to Ty if he’s successful next year – there’s no question Ty brought in a very good class last year, and there’s some talent here to work with. Not as much as there should be, but some talent nonetheless.

Do you dispute that Ty’s early classes were better than his later classes? Do you dispute that good recruits as upperclassmen provide a better base for success than lesser recruits? That’s all I’m saying here. Charlie has an argument that he had more to work with his first couple of years compared to his last two, and as his own recruits get more experience he may show the same kind of success he had his first two years. Is it a correct argument, and will it be enough? Who knows. But there is some truth to it.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 8:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Weis

I can see both arguments. Weis has done no better than Ty, therefore he should be fired.
But, they are improving, there is nothing that makes me believe they won’t do anything but improve again next year.

P.S. – I can’t stand ND or Weis, keep him there, they belong together!

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Nov 30, 2008 4:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Brian Kelly

Kelly sounds like a home run for the Huskies if they can land him. I do not think they could do better and I think we could turn this ship around in 2 years with him.

Imagine the buzz around the program if they bring Kelly on board. There still is monster effort to get the Huskies on top but this is a coach that has done it and will do it again somewhere, so hopefully at UW.

I was never on board with Gilby and Willingham because in football circles everyone knew they were not good head coaches. Everyone knows Kelly is a very good coach. I remember watching Cincy kill Oregon State last year and how crisp they were.

Keep your fingers crossed!

by Fighting Husky on Nov 30, 2008 1:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

agree

We just have to hope that Notre Dame keeps Weis another year. I’ve heard that Kelly has mentioned Notre Dame as a “dream job”.

If Notre Dame isn’t in the mix, then it comes down to these options:
- Washington
- Syracuse
- staying at Cincinnati

I think Washington has the highest upside of the 3 choices. With Syracuse, he’d be staying in the same conference, and it’s questionable if he can do better at Syracuse then at Cincinnati. On the other hand, maybe he’s not interested in uprooting himself to the west coast and having to establish new coaching connections here.

Or, he could decide to use the interest from Washington and Syracuse to jack up his salary at Cincinnati and stick around, waiting for an even bigger job in the next few years (Notre Dame? Michigan?)

If we can’t land Mora, we need to make a full-court press for Kelly – he’s a fantastic option, probably the best one out there if we can’t land Mora or Tedford.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 1:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Let the fun begin

I’m glad the season is wrapping up and the coaching search can really heat up.

My preferences

1 – Mora – If you need to know why, you belong on a different blog
2 – Leach – Locker/Fouch and lots of good young recievers would equal lots of yards
3 – Kelly – I love his record, but would he stay in Seattle for the long haul?
4 – Whittingham – Good coach, done very well at Utah.

I’d be happy with any of them. Pat Hill would have to prove to me he belongs, the only way to do that is win, and win often.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Nov 30, 2008 1:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

am i the only one?!

why do i seem to be the only one who thinks that Peterson from Boise State NEEDS to coach UW next year? what else does this man need to do to get up in the “big leagues”??

i’m not even sure what idiot thought it would be a good idea to interview Mr. Mediocre, Pat Hill. You’ve got to be kidding me with that one.

I’d even take Peterson over Mora to be quite honest. He’s a college coach. a good one too! the Mora thing would be great but i get the feeling the hype machine has taken that one over and he’s being taken as the Messiah, when he may not be.

by bodhi on Nov 30, 2008 4:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

on Peterson

There are risks with Peterson. He’s shown he can continue winning big for a program that is rolling, but he hasn’t yet demonstrated he can rebuild a program that is down. You also have to wonder if he can make the leap to a bigger conference and still succeed – his predecessors at Boise State haven’t exactly set the world on fire at their new, major conference jobs.

I’m not saying Peterson shouldn’t be a candidate, just that he’s got some question marks.

It’s a moot point anyway – he doesn’t seem to have any interest in the UW and would appear to prefer Oregon if he does ever leave Boise.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 4:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Petersen

He looks very inticing, but kirkd has some very good points. I’d love to have him as our coach, but I do get the feeling he is waiting for Oregon. Given his BSU predecessors poor performance in the “big leagues”, I don’t blame him for being cautious and looking for the right situation.

Not to be self righteous, but we all need to remember that there is no perfect coach (except for Gil Dobie), every candidate will have pro’s and con’s. What we need is a coach who is a proven winner, like Kelly, Mora, Petersen, and Leach, I think Hill would be borderline on that criteria.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Nov 30, 2008 5:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yep

No guarantees with any of the candidates, just degrees of confidence.

I wouldn’t be upset if we got Peterson. There’s a lot to like about him, including the fact he’s been more successful than any of his predecessors – he’s not just continued the success they had (and keep in mind he was Hawkins’ OC), he’s improved upon it.

I just don’t think there’s much of a chance we’ll get him. And unfortunately, that’s probably also the case with Tedford, Kelly, Whittingham and Leach, not to mention Mora.

We may find that Hill is one of the few sitting head coaches that wants the job.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 5:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

We aren't their yet!

I don’t think we are that far down the candidate list yet. I still think there is a very good chance we can get Kelly or Whittingham. And an outside chance we could get Leach or Mora. Hopefully Hill is nothing more than a “if all else fails” option. And I don’t think “all else has failed”, yet. Give it another week or two.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Nov 30, 2008 5:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Petersen ought to be candidate 1a.

… and maybe he is. If he wants the job, then he is doing the things that he ought to be doing to optimize his bargaining position.

I’m not sure what the difference is between “continuing winning” and “starting winning”. It seems like the coach has to do the exact same things in order to get either result, so I’m not buying into this idea that he is any more risky than any other candidate. For how much hatred there is out there for Ty, no one can deny his results at Stanford. The fact of the matter is that he took that program to the Rose Bowl from nowhere. That “proven experience” did nothing for us. So, let’s discount that risk factor and judge the man based on his body of work. He’s a winner.

You guys maybe right that he’s not interested … but who really knows. If he is, now is the time to posture. This will be a fun week or two, either way.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 5:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It will be a fun week

Sorry but I have to play devil’s advocate, or should I call it Gekko Mojo? I can deny his results at Stanford. He followed THE Bill Walsh, and his record was above average, but by no means great. Come on Gekko, try me, I’d love to debate this one!!!

And yes, Petersen should be a top candidate.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Nov 30, 2008 5:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If you agree not to call me a Ty apologist and acknowledge that this all for the sake of argument ...

… I will bite.

Look – Ty took Stanford to the Rose Bowl in his fifth year there (his own players). In seven years, he had Stanford with a winning record in the conference. He finished in the top half of the Pac 10 five of his seven years. If memory serves, Walsh was at Stanford for three years? Though I cannot recall his record, I’m pretty sure he didn’t take them to the Rose Bowl.

Maybe Ty got lazy, maybe the game passed him by, maybe he got too egotistical (though this raises the whole Charlie Weis thing again), but I do not see how history as recorded in the annals of time can be disputed. My point was that we did not need to use “track record for rebuilding a program” as criteria because Ty has demonstrated that this point may be not all that relevant. I’m not sure how this point is disputed.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Nov 30, 2008 7:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes this just for the sake of argument

Okay, his overall record was 44-36-1, his conference record was 32-25, slightly above .500, not bad, but not anything to write home about either. He was 1-3 in bowl games, yuck.

You are right he did finish in the top half of the PAC10 5 times. BUT, three of those times were pretty average, try 5-4, 5-3 and 4-4, again nothing to get excited about. In your defense he did have a 6-2, and a 7-1 season.
He had 4 winning season and 3 losing seasons, 2 of the winning seasons were on Walsh’s shirt tail.
Lets look at his whole record:
1995: 7-4-1
1996: 7-5
1997: 5-6
1998: 3-8
1999: 8-4
2000: 5-6
2001: 9-3

Here’s the breakdown. Bill Walsh (and his 3 Superbowl Championships in SF) left Ty with some good recruits. Ty used that to get off to a good start, then the fall. After a few piss poor seasons he managed two good seasons with a stinker in the middle. Looks pretty average to me. I really don’t see what everyone gets so excited about. His BEST year was 9-3, good, but by no means great.

The year he went to the Rosebowl, 1999, they were 8-4, and 7-1 in conference. They lost 69-17 to Texas, and they lost 44-39 to SAN JOSE STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention losing to Washington, and Wisconsin in the Rosebowl 17-9. They won the Pac10, got creamed by Texas, AND LOST TO SAN JOSE STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try this on for size:
Arizona 6-6
Arizona St. 6-6
Cal 4-7
Oregon 9-3, oops better overall than Stanford, but only 6-2 in conference
Oregon State 7-5
UCLA 4-7
USC 6-6
UW 7-5
WSU 3-9

It was a HORRIBLY down year for the Pac 10, Ty got LUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!! He took over from a football Legend, who had a .500 record, so he didn’t take them from nowhere to a Rosebowl, he destroyed them, then took them from the nowhere he created to a Rosebowl.

Let me some up his time at Stanford; Mediocre at best!!!

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Dec 1, 2008 1:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice use of Wiki.

You have to remember that we are talking about Stanford (a team that the so called legend only coached for three seasons, I think)… “mediocre” is actually really good for them. As for calling Ty “lucky” that he got to the Rose Bowl … that is just comedy. Teams don’t luck into winning the Pac 10. If that ever happened, then explain how USC will make it seven or eight straight years? A team might luck out to win a game … but to go 7-1 in the conference is as good as we’ve ever done save our national championship year. Calling that accomplishment luck is the same as calling Jim Mora’s run to the playoffs with the Falcons luck. Doh!

I know that there is an undercurrent of hatred for Ty on this forum, but, c’mon, the man has a record and there were a lot of accomplishments on the early part of his resume. There was a reason that he was hired at ND and then again at UW and it wasn’t because of his sparkling personality. His performance here has been a failure, but his whole career has not been.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Dec 1, 2008 4:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ty is not

worth the effort, for me, it takes to HATE someone. Don’t mistake dislike for hate.

Too many people mistake dislike for hate these days or use the word incorrectly.

Looking at Ty’s full body of work gives us a better idea of his coaching and recruiting abilities than looking at his first seven or last seven years. Would you hire him as your HC looking at his full body of work?

by T9ODawg on Dec 1, 2008 7:09 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ty

You have a point mediocre, for them, is somewhat of an accomplishment. I can easily discount his first two years given the recruiting classes Walsh brought in. But he did get very lucky. How many times has a Pac10 champion lost to San Jose State in the same year??? 8-4, with a blow out loss, and a loss to a pathetic program, tells me he got VERY lucky to get into the Rosebowl.

My use of Wiki – It can be very handy. I do want you to know my first post challenging you was made from Seattle, all the stats came from the pilot lounge in the San Jose Airport, our passenger was going to Palo Alto and San Jose is the closest runway long enough to land a Lear. Just thought it was funny given we were arguing about Stanford. What else is there for a guy to do in a pilot lounge at 1 am?

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Dec 1, 2008 11:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I can see your point.

… but I don’t think you can classify winning the pac 10 as “good luck” any more than you can classify going 0-12 as “bad luck”. You cannot pick and choose your facts in such assertions.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Dec 2, 2008 7:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think the point is more that the Pac-10 was particularly down that year, and that is was probably one of the easiest years in the last few decades to win the conference. I’d call it not so much “luck” as “good timing” – Ty had a reasonably good Stanford team that year, and the rest of the conference wasn’t that hot, so that Stanford team was good enough to win the conference title.

With respect to Ty, it was interesting to learn earlier this season that academic requirements for football recruits were not as restrictive when Ty was the coach there. It perhaps explains why Ty had more success there than his successors have had (though there’s no question that Teevens was a disaster and Harris was a bad fit).

I think there’s also something to the idea that Ty’s personality and coaching style work better at a place like Stanford and with the kind of kids Stanford attracts.

by kirkd on Dec 2, 2008 11:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Petersen

You know I think there’s no one guy that can get this job done. I think there are about 5 or 6 HEAD coaches who the Husky Nation would get fired up about. I can say this though, I don’t think Hill is going to have that effect. I’ve never heard the guy much so maybe I should reserve my opinion of him until I get to know the guy. I really think right now though the Husky fans really need a major shot of adrenaline. 5 or 6 of these guys could do that but NOT Hill.

by dawgfan22 on Nov 30, 2008 5:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I've heard

Petersen doesn’t want UW

by T9ODawg on Nov 30, 2008 5:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hill and the Notre Dame guy?

Does anyone else think it’s funny that these two are the only KNOWN candidates? Nobody is taking the ND guy seriously so why should we consider Hill?

by dawgfan22 on Nov 30, 2008 5:23 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Time Frame

Why is that we believe a coach will be named this week? It seems to me the UW should take the extra time to get it right.

by dawgfan22 on Nov 30, 2008 5:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Timing

They’ve had plenty of time to do background checking, wish list making . . . .
Now that the season is over for most coaches, things should be happening much faster. I don’t think Dr. Emmert and Scott Woodward are going to rush into anything.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Nov 30, 2008 5:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

the time is right

Now that most teams are done with their regular season coaches have the chance to decide if they are willing to listen to other offers, the opportunity is there to conduct face to face interviews with candidates, and the time is right for any such change of jobs to be announced – after the regular season and before any bowl games.

That said, at the moment there isn’t a lot of competition for the UW for head coaches. Syracuse is in no better shape than the UW and in a worse conference; Mississippi State is one of the worst programs in the SEC and has a lot less upside than the UW; Clemson is in better shape, but they appear close to naming a new coach.

The wild card is if Notre Dame fires Weis – that’ll put a major monkey wrench in things. Some coaches may want to wait to hear whether Weis is gone or not before they make a decision.

The Notre Dame factor is why the UW may want to try to lock down a candidate this week if it’s a Kelly, Whittingham or Leach.

by kirkd on Nov 30, 2008 5:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Kelly

Does Notre Dame really want Brian Kelly? Some people don’t think he’s show enough yet. Personally I’d take him in a heartbeat. He’s WAY better than what we’ve had and I don’t think you can make a strong case for any other candidate over him. Kelly Mora Whittingham Petersen or Leach. I’d take any of them. Does the fact that Leach is LDS matter at Washington? Appartently it does at ND.

by dawgfan22 on Nov 30, 2008 6:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Advantage Washington?

I think it was smart for Woodward to fire Willingham early. If he would have waited till the season ended we’d be behind the eightball and STILL waiting. A lot of legwork has been done already.

by dawgfan22 on Nov 30, 2008 6:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Here is what Kenny Rogers thinks

Sometimes the known and publicized candidates are leaked on purpose as a smoke screen to conceal the real candidate. Choosing a coach is sometimes like Poker. You need to know how to hold em and know when to show em….

by John Berkowitz on Nov 30, 2008 9:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but when have these guys ever given us reason to be optimisitc?

Their batting average is worse than Richie Sexson’s.

by discovolante on Dec 1, 2008 12:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Makes a lot of sense

Why else would the first candidate to leak was NOWHERE on anybody’s radar. Funny, given all the secrecy around the search, yet the two candidates to leak, were extremely obvious. One openly missed practice during a game week, the other was seen in a local airport getting on a flight headed to Seattle. I find it funny given the reports of Woodward flying around meeting other candidates in neutral locations. Maybe, just maybe, they wanted these two to leak out.

"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"

by Lear Pilot on Dec 1, 2008 1:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Can we please...

hire a coach already!!! I can’t take this anymore.

Not living in Seattle and being a Seattle fan is EXTREMELY tough. I got a text on Thursday…“Tell your sh*ty team thanks for the win” (he took the Boys and the points). This is the tamest message i have received in months. Constant ridicule and laughter when i want to watch UW on TV. I need hope!!!!!

by bigdave967 on Dec 1, 2008 6:15 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

probably the same guy who is hoping that UW hires Mora.

I’d be happy with Mora … but we can’t ignore how horrible his team (and his unit) has been this year. He is the assistant head coach, after all.

"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.

by Gekko Mojo on Dec 1, 2008 6:29 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Turner Gill or Hill?

If you had to pick one…which one would you? I’d take Gill. I just can’t get over how Fresno State can have like zero success against BSU. They’re down in Cali and should be able to be pretty selective with the mother load of talent down there!

by dawgfan22 on Dec 1, 2008 7:36 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Husky Stadium

Do you guys think Washington has a back up plan if state funding falls through? My thought is they have to. In some ways, due to the recession, it’s a great time to build. If Hec Ed naming rights are worth a million a year, what are they worth for Husky Stadium? I was doing the math on the season tickets, if say Kelly get the job, what’s the buzz on that worth? By my calculations, 2 million a year. Just a guess mind you but 5000 additional seats times 400 bucks a pop is 2 million. That of course doesn’t include concessions and parking revenue. It’s obvious to me that a bigtime coach or even the perception of one could make a huge difference in the short term. Recruiting wise, you get the same effect. Guys would really want to play for Brian Kelly or Mike Leach. I think Petersen and Whittinham would give you that too. What do you guys think?

by dawgfan22 on Dec 1, 2008 8:03 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Gill? Backup plan on Husky Stadium?

Not enough experience….next!

There is no back up plan for Husky Stadium funding. It reamins a 50/50 State/Private proposition

by John Berkowitz on Dec 1, 2008 9:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

on Gill

I wouldn’t discount him for a supposed lack of experience – he’s been coaching since 1989. And while he’s only been a head coach for 3 years, it’s been an impressive 3 years, taking a horrible program that had gone 16-85 in the 9 years preceding Gill and building it up to 7 wins and their first bowl game ever.

Gill should be a backup candidate.

by kirkd on Dec 1, 2008 10:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Back up plan

You know they may not “want” to talk about it but I believe there is a backup plan. In these challenging economic times there has to be. Did read where Gregoire just announced massive cuts in state spending? The state did kick in 10 million for Hec Ed. If we get the same percentage for Husky Stadium, I think we’ll be fortunate.

by dawgfan22 on Dec 1, 2008 10:45 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Stadium cont...

Things are definitely moving forward with Husky Stadium. Hopefully there is some plan to move funding through. From what I heard the taxes have paid off quicker than what was projected. I don’t know if they’re completely paid off but apparently at least ahead of schedule. The Mariners already are tapping into it to replace the wheels on their moving roof. This to the tune of over a million bucks!

by dawgfan22 on Dec 1, 2008 5:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs